Illuminated base

ABSTRACT

An illuminated base comprising an enclosing cabinet which contains an electrical circuit, a lamp and a push type switch to control the lamp. A reflecting cover upwardly closes the cabinet and is provided with an opening therein to permit light rays to shine upwardly therethrough. The switch is operable through a foam rubber base pad which can be readily compressed against a stationary surface when it is desired to activate the lamp.

United States Patent [191 Jackson et al.

[ June 18, 1974 ILLUMINATED BASE [75] Inventors: John A. Jackson, Philadelphia, Pa.;

Richard M. Fegan, Flemington, NJ.

[73] Assignee: John A. Jackson Inc., Philadelphia,

22 Filed: Dec. 26, 1972 21 Appl. No.: 318,685

[52] US. Cl 240/10 R, 240/2 S, 240/6.4 [51] Int. Cl. F2lv 33/00 [58] Field of Search 240/2 S, 2 SL, 6.4, 10 R, 240/10 F, 10 P, 10 T, 10.5, 10.6,10.65, 81

R; 200/159 R, 167 R, 172 R, 159 B [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,611,214 9/1952 Schur 240/10 F 3,017,497 1/1962 Albright... 3,495,083 2/1970 Spoerl 240/10 T 3,611,603 10/1971 Gesner 240/10 R X 3,721,784 3/1973 Viracola 200/159 B FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 901,973 7/1962 Great Britain 240/10 20,314 6/1930 Australia 240/10 F 1,036,801 4/1953 France 240/10 R Primary ExaminerRichard M. Sheen Assistant Examiner-Alan Mathews Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Kar1 L. Spivak, Esq.

[5 7 ABSTRACT An illuminated base comprising an enclosing cabinet which contains an electrical circuit, a lamp and a push type switch to control the lamp. A reflecting cover upwardly closes the cabinet and is provided with an opening therein to permit light rays to shine upwardly therethrough. The switch is operable through a foam rubber base pad which can be readily compressed against a stationary surface when it is desired to activate the lamp.

5 Claims, 9 Drawing Figures PATENTED JUN 8 I974 SHEET 1 0F 2 FIG. 2

FIG. 4

ILLUMINATED BASE BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates generally to the field of display bases, at more particularly, is directed to an illuminated type of display base.

Prior workers in the art have long employed bases for mounting various articles of art and commerce for work display purposes. Most prior art bases of which we are familiar incorporate a sturdy, firm and stable foundation upon which items such as trophies, sculptured articles and the like may be mounted for display purposes. When it was desired to illuminate the article mounted upon the base, it has been the common practice to employ exterior lighting means such as spotlights whereby the light rays may be manually directed to impinge upon the mounted article.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates in general to the display art, and more particularly, is directed to an illuminated base whereby articles mounted thereon may be illuminated from light sources contained within the base.

The present invention incorporates a base cabinet having enclosed sidewalls within which are mounted a light source and an electrical circuit to power the light source. The circuit may be either battery operated which is the preferred embodiment or may it be functioned through a conventional cord and plug to thereby draw current from a usual house receptacle. The light source may be of the high intensity type or may be conventional low voltage type and is preferably associated with a reflector to focus the light rays in a desired direction. The floor of the base is equipped with a thick, foam rubber or foam plastic pad and has a push type switch mounted with its push button extending downwardly through the pad in a manner to permit function of the switch simply by pushing down on the base to depress the pad against a stationary surface sufficiently for switch operation purposes.

A reflecting cover mounts upon the top of the base cabinet and includes an opening in registry with the light source to permit the light rays to project upwardly therethrough. Preferably the cover is provided with an overall reflecting surface so that the light rays reflected downwardly by the article to be illuminated can again be directed upwardly by the surface.

It is contemplated that various display items such as trophies, art objects, advertising signs, and various items such as coins, gems, stamps, medals, etc. encapsulated within a clear acrylic plastic may be utilized in conjunction with the illuminated base of the present invention. Additionally, by fabricating the reflecting cover to be readily removable from the base construction itself, a single base may be employed to illuminate one or more display items which could be cemented or otherwise permanently affixed to a separate, reflecting cover.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved illuminated base of the type set forth.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a novel illuminated base which includes a light source contained within a base cabinet, a cabinet top having means to permit rays from the light source to shine therethrough and further providing means to mount a display item in position to be illuminated by rays from the light source.

It is another object of the present invention to pro vide a novel illuminated base which includes a base cabinet, a cover for the cabinet having a reflecting surface and a light source mounted within the cabinet in position to shine light rays directly through the reflecting cover upon an object mounted exteriorly of the cabinet.

It is further object of the present invention to provide a novel illuminated base which includes an enclosing cabinet, a light source mounted within the cabinet, a push-button switch contained within the cabinet and having its push button extended downwardly through the floor of the cabinet, a foam rubber pad mounted exteriorly of the floor of the cabinet and having the switch push button extending therethrough, whereby downward pressure upon the cabinet will depress the pad sufficiently to function the push button switch for circuit operation purposes.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a novel illuminated base that is simple in design, rugged in construction and trouble free when in use.

Other objects and a fuller understanding of the invention will be had by referring to the following description and claims of the preferred embodiment thereof, taken in conjuction with the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views and in which:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an illuminated base in accordance with the teachings of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view taken along Line 2--2 of FIG. 1 looking in the direction of the arrows.

FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view taken along Line 33 of FIG. 1 looking in the direction of the arrows.

FIG. 4 is a bottom plan view taken along Line 4-4 of FIG. 1 looking in the direction of the arrows.

FIG. 5 is an exploded, perspective view of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION Although specific terms are used in thefollowing description for the sake of clarity, these terms are intended to refer only to the particular structure of our invention selected for illustration in the drawings and are not intended to define or limit the scope of the invention.

Referring now to the drawings, we show in FIG. 1 an illuminated base 10 which comprises generally an enclosing cabinet 12 containing therein the electrical circuitry of the device as hereinafter more fully set forth. A thick resilient pad 14, fabricated of foam rubber or foam plastic, substantially covers the entire bottom 16 of the cabinet. The top 18 of the cabinet 12 is recessed or otherwise treated to receive thereon a reflecting surface 20 upon which is mounted the object 22 which is to be illuminated.

As best seen in FIGS. 2-5, the interior 24 of the cabinet 12 is fabricated to a generally hollow configuration to contain the electrical circuitry of the device, the lamp 26 and the switch 28. The lamp 26 mounts within a socket 30 in conventional manner to receive electrical. energy from either the batteries 32, 34 in well known manner or from a house current connected cord (not shown) also in well known manner. The operating voltage of the lamp 26 must conform to the current characteristics of either the batteries 32, 34 or the house current.

In the embodiment illustrated, upper and lower spacer means 36, 38 cooperate to securely mount the batteries 32, 34 therebetween. A conventional electrical circuit 40 interconnects the batteries 32, 34, the switch 28 and the lamp socket 30 in well known manner to energize the lamp 26 when the switch is urged to its on position and to de-energize the lamp 26 when the switch is pushed to its off position. A reflecting surface 20, which may be mirrored glass or polished metal, secures to the top 18 of the cabinet 12 in a suitable manner such as by resting upon the peripheral retainer ledge 42. In this manner, the reflecting surface can be rendered readily replaceable with respect to the cabinet 12 to thereby provide a convenient method for ataching various objects 22 to the illuminated base for object illumination purposes. If desired, the periphery of the reflecting surface may be glued or otherwise affixed to the peripheral retainer ledge 42 to render the construction more or less pennanent in nature.

As best seen in FIGS. 3 and 5, an opening 44 is provided in the reflecting surface 20 to permit the light rays from the lamp 26 to pass upwardly therethrough. Preferably, the lamp 26 and socket are equipped with an attached reflector 46 to focus the light rays from lamp 26 to pass through the opening 44 as a light beam. If the reflecting surface is fabricated of glass having a mirrored surface 48, then the opening 44 would comprise an unmirrored area on the glass to thereby allow the focused light rays from the lamp 26 to pass directly therethrough. If the reflecting surface 20 is opaque in nature such as in the case of polished metal, then the opening 44 would have to be cut through the reflecting material itself to permit the passage of light rays.

In order to use the illuminated base of the present invention, an object 22 is placed upon the reflecting surface 20 in suitable position over the opening 44 to thereby directly receive the light rays from the lamp 26. As illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, the object 22 may be a clear acrylic plastic or similar material having embedded therein various materials 50, 52 which will receive the light from the lamp 26 for illumination purposes. The materials 50, 52 could be any predetermined matter for which illuminated display would be adventagious. In this regard, it is contemplated that coins, stamps, advertising signs, jewelry, photos, etc. could be encapsulated within clear plastic material in manner well known to those skilled in the art.

In the preferred embodiment, it is contemplated that one acrylic plastic object 22 with any suitable embedded material 50 or 52 would be cemented directly .upon the reflecting surface 20 in vertical registry over the opening 44. Upon activation of the electrical circuit 40, the light rays from the lamp 20 would be focused in a beam to shine directly through the opening 44, through the clear plastic material of the object 22 to impinge directly upon the encapsulated material 50 or 52 for illumination purposes. The encapsulated material 50, 52 itself would then in turn cause certain of the rays from the lamp 26 to be reflected downwardly upon the reflecting surface 20. The reflecting surface 20 would then act to bounce the reflected light rays upwardly to further illuminate the embedded materials 50 or 52. If desired, the object to be illuminated could be a trophy, a work of art or other free standing subjects (not illustrated) which would preferably be cemented or otherwise affixed upon the reflecting surface 20 in position to receive light rays from the lamp 26 through the opening 44. In this manner, the illuminated base 10 could be utilized as a trophy display stand or for conveniently lighting art objects or similar items.

The switch 28 interiorly mounts within the interior space 24 of the cabinet 12 and has its push button 54 depending exteriorly downwardly from the bottom 16 of the cabinet. The push button 54 extends through the resilient pad 14 and terminates downwardly substantially flush with the bottom 56 of the pad 14. Preferably, both the cabinet bottom 16 and the resilient pad 14 are provided with openings 58, 60 to facilitate passage and operation of the push button 54 therethrough. Thus, by placing the illuminated base 10 upon a table or similar working surface (not shown) and pushing downwardly to compress the resilient pad 14, the push button 54 will then readily depress against the table surface to function the switch 28. When the pressure upon the surface is released, the natural memory of the material allows the resilient pad 14 to assume its original shape, thereby cycling the switch push button 54 in usual manner. Function of the switch 28 will illuminate the lamp 26 for object illumination purposes. When it is desired to terminate the operation of the lamp 26, the base 10 is again pressed downwardly to compress the pad 14 and again function the push button of the switch to thereby open the electrical circuit 40 and shut off the lamp 26.

Referring now to FIGS. 6-10, we show a second embodiment of the device as applied to a shadow box or picture frame 64 which is adaptable to be mounted upon a vertical surface such as a wall 66 in vertical relation. The modified device includes an enclosing cabinet 12' which is backed by a thick, resilient pad 14' of foam rubber or foam plastic which may be depressed by pushing the front of the cabinet 12' rearwardly against the vertical wall 66. The interior 24' of the cabinet 12' is fabricated to a generally hollow configuration to contain the electrical circuitry of the device (not shown), the lamps 26' and the switch 28'. The lamps 26' mount within the sockets 30 in conventional manner to receive electrical energy from the batteries 32', 34' in well known manner. Optionally, the lamps may be conventionally powered by being connected to house current through an electrical cord (not shown). A light defusion screen or glass 68 secures interiorly of the cabinet 12' above the lamps 26' in a manner to permit light rays from the lamps 26' to shine upwardly therethrough. Preferably, the lamps 26' and sockets 30' are equipped with conventional reflectors 46 to focus the light rays from the lamps 26 so that the light rays pass through the light defusion screen 68 as light beams, The reflectors 46' should be aimed to focus the light rays from the lamps 26' directly upon the object 70 which is to be illuminated by the device.

In order to use the illuminated shadow box 64 of this embodiment, an object 70 is conventionally mounted upon the rear wall 72 in suitable position to receive light rays from the lamps 26. The object 70 may be any desired matter, such as a plaque, an acrylic encapsulated material, a picture, etc. The object 70 could be any predetermined matter for which illuminated display would prove advantageous. The switch 28' interiorly mounts within the interior space 24' of the cabinet 12' and has its push button 54' extending rearwardly exteriorly of the rear wall 72. The push button 54 extends through the resilient pad 14 and terminates rearwardly substantially flush with the rear surface 74 of the pad 14'. The cabinet rear wall 72 and the resilient pad 14' are provided with openings 58, 60' to facilitate passage and operation of the push button 54' therethrough. The cabinet 12' is provided with a pair or integrally formed mounting openings 76, 78 through which mounting screws 80 are received to fasten the device to the wall 66. Thus, by placing the illuminated cabinet in mounted position upon a wall surface 66, and by pushing rearwardly against the cabinet 12' to compress the resilient pad 14', the push button 54 will be readily depressed against the wall surface to function the switch 28. When the pressure upon the cabinet is released, the natural memory of the pad material allows the resilient pad 14' to assume its original shape, thereby cycling the switch push button 54' in well known manner. Function of the switch 28 will illuminate the lamps 26 for object illumination purposes. When it is desired to terminate the operation of the lamps 26', the cabinet 12' is again pressed rearwardly to compress the pad 14' to again fuction the push but ton 54' of the switch 28 to thereby shut off the lamps 26'.

Although we have described the present invention with reference to the particular embodiments therein set forth, it is understood that the present disclosure has been made only by way of example and that numerous changes in the details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Thus, the scope of the invention should not be limited by the foregoing specification, but rather only by the scope of the claims appended hereto.

We claim:

1. In an illuminated object supporting base suitable for positioning upon a stationary surface, the combination of 1. a cabinet,

A. said cabinet defining an interior space and having an open top and a bottom;

2. a lamp mounted within the cabinet;

3. circuit means associated with the cabinet to power the said lamp;

4. a thick, resilient pad bottomly overfitting the said cabinet bottom,

A. the bottom of said pad resting upon the surface;

5. a switch controlling the function of the circuit means,

A. the switch being of the push button type, said switch being mounted interiorly of the cabinet and having its push button extending downwardly through the the bottom of the cabinet and terminating substantially even with the bottom of the pad; and

6. a cover overfitting the cabinet at the top thereof,

A. said cover having an opening therein to permit light rays from the lamp to pass therethrough to impinge upon the said object,

1. said opening being positioned in registry over the lamp,

said cover being provided with a light reflecting surface.

2. The invention of claim 1 whereby the switch push button has a depressed position and a fully extended position and whereby downward pressure upon the cabinet depresses the pad against the surface and depresses the push button of the switch to the depressed position either alternately to an on or an ofF position and whereby upon release of the pressure, the natural resiliency of the pad causes the cabinet to return to its original position and allows the switch push button to recycle to its fully extended position.

3. The invention of claim 1 wherein the cover is fabricated of mirrored glass.

4. The invention of claim 1 wherein the cover is fabricated of opaque material.

5. The inventiion of claim 3 whereby some of the light rays which impinge upon the object are reflected downwardly upon the cover and wherein some of the light rays which are reflected upon the cover are again reflected by the mirrored glass to again impinge upon the object whereby the object is twice illuminated, once by direct light rays and once by reflected light rays. 

1. In an illuminated object supporting base suitable for positioning upon a stationary surface, the combination of
 1. a cabinet, A. said cabinet defining an interior space and having an open top and a bottom;
 2. a lamp mounted within the cabinet;
 3. circuit means associated with the cabinet to power the said lamp;
 4. a thick, resilient pad bottomly overfitting the said cabinet bottom, A. the bottom of said pad resting upon the surface;
 5. a switch controlling the function of the circuit means, A. the switch being of the push button type, said switch being mounted interiorly of the cabinet and having its push button extending downwardly through the the bottom of the cabinet and terminating substantially even with the bottom of the pad; and
 6. a cover overfitting the cabinet at the top thereof, A. said cover having an opening therein to permit light rays from the lamp to pass therethrough to impinge upon the said object,
 1. said opening being positioned in registry over the lamp, said cover being provided with a light reflecting surface.
 2. a lamp mounted within the cabinet;
 2. The invention of claim 1 whereby the switch push button has a depressed position and a fully extended position and whereby downward pressure upon the cabinet depresses the pad against the surface and depresses the push button of the switch to the depressed position either alternately to an ''''on'''' or an ''''off'''' position and whereby upon release of the pressure, the natural resiliency of the pad causes the cabinet to return to its original position and allows the switch push button to recycle to its fully extended position.
 3. The invention of claim 1 wherein the cover is fabricated of mirrored glass.
 3. circuit means associated with the cabinet to power the said lamp;
 4. a thick, resilient pad bottomly overfitting the said cabinet bottom, A. the bottom of said pad resting upon the surface;
 4. The invention of claim 1 wherein the cover is fabricated of opaque material.
 5. The inventiion of claim 3 whereby some of the light rays which impinge upon the object are reflected downwardly upon the cover and wherein some of the light rays which are reflected upon the cover are again reflected by the mirrored glass to again impinge upon the object whereby the object is twice illuminated, once by direct light rays and once by reflected light rays.
 5. a switch controlling the function of the circuit means, A. the switch being of the push button type, said switch being mounted interiorly of the cabinet and having its push button extending downwardly through the the bottom of the cabinet and terminating substantially even with the bottom of the pad; and
 6. a cover overfitting the cabinet at the top thereof, A. said cover having an opening therein to permit light rays from the lamp to pass therethrough to impinge upon the said object, 